[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 17 (Tuesday, February 26, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




NINETIETH ANNIVERSARY OF HADASSAH, THE WOMEN'S ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF 
                                AMERICA

 Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I would like to take this 
opportunity to acknowledge the 90th anniversary of Hadassah, the 
Women's Zionist Organization of America.
  With over 300,000 members and 1,500 chapters across the country, 
Hadassah is the largest Jewish women's membership organization in the 
United States. Hadassah's mission is to promote a prosperous and 
peaceful Israel, ensure Jewish continuity, pursue social justice, and 
provide for the health, education, and well-being of American Jewish 
women and their families.
  I would also add that Hadassah plays a central role in reinforcing 
the close and intimate bonds of friendship, solidarity, and shared 
values between the United States and Israel.
  Hadassah was founded in 1912 by educator and visionary Henrietta 
Szold, who had long been committed to the ideal of a Jewish homeland 
and the Jewish imperative for social justice. After her first visit to 
Palestine, Szold transformed her small women's study circle into a 
dynamic social action committee dedicated to meet the challenges of 
poverty, filth, and disease in Palestine. In 1913, two American nurses 
set up community health and maternity care stations in Jerusalem. These 
health centers became the foundation of Israel's medical 
infrastructure.
  Today in Israel, Hadassah supports the most advanced medical center 
in the region, comprised of two hospitals, 90 outpatient clinics, and 
numerous community health centers. Hadassah Medical Organization, HMO, 
its flagship project, provides state-of-the-art health care to 600,000 
patients a year regardless of race, religion, or creed, and often 
treats the most critically wounded in the region's ongoing conflicts.
  Through the Congressionally-funded American Schools and Hospital 
Abroad, ASHA, program, HMO stands ready to serve American military 
troops should such a need ever arise. HMO sites have been visited by 
numerous heads of state, American Congressional delegations and 
administration officials, state and local leaders, and other public 
opinion makers.
  In addition to Hadassah Medical Organization, Hadassah funds and 
maintains four other major programs in Israel and the United States:
  Hadassah Israel Education Services, which provides cutting-edge 
technical training, retraining, and vocational guidance for all Israeli 
citizens;
  Youth Aliya founded to bring children of the Holocaust to Palestine, 
now provides housing, education, and support to disadvantaged Israeli 
and immigrant youth;
  Young Judaea, which includes clubs, camps, and programs for American 
teenagers to build connections to Israel and Jewish life; and
  The Jewish National Fund, which supports the building of parks, 
plants and trees, and other initiatives to preserve Israel's ecology 
and natural resources.
  As part of its global humanitarian commitment, Hadassah provides 
medical personnel and training and relief services during international 
health crises, including those in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Rwanda.
  Throughout the United States, Hadassah members are engaged in a wide 
range of educational, advocacy, and community service initiatives. 
Hadassah's education services include women's health seminars and 
Hebrew language classes. Hadassah members also help to shape public 
opinion and policy through advocacy work on issues ranging from United 
States-Israel relations to first amendment protections to women's 
rights and health concerns. In communities across the United States, 
Hadassah members have also launched many projects aimed at improving 
the lives of women and their families. Hadassah's members are 
represented in every Congressional district in the United States.
  Thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to acknowledge the 
contributions that Hadassah has made to the promotion of humanity, 
compassion, and community, in Israel, the United States, and 
worldwide.

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